Information processing device, method, and computer

ABSTRACT

There is provided an information processing device to cause vibration to be generated suitable for a state between an information processing device including a vibrating device and a user, the information processing device including: corrected vibration data configured to generate corrected information for correcting a strength of vibration data for a vibrating device including a vibrator on a basis of information provided from a detecting unit configured to detect a contact state of the vibrating device; and an vibration signal generating unit configured to generate a vibration signal from the corrected vibration data.

CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/419,463 (filed on May 22, 2019), which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/743,874 (filed on Jan. 11, 2018 andissued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,353,470 on Jul. 16, 2019), which is aNational Stage Patent Application of PCT International PatentApplication No. PCT/JP2016/076531 (filed on Sep. 8, 2016) under 35U.S.C. § 371, which is a continuation-in-part of PCT InternationalPatent Application No. PCT/JP2016/075581 (filed on Aug. 31, 2016), whichclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/215,572(filed on Sep. 8, 2015), which are all hereby incorporated by referencein their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, amethod, and a computer program.

BACKGROUND ART

Currently, information processing devices that execute applications suchas smartphones or wearable terminals worn on wrist or the like have beenspread. In such information processing devices, a notification from anapplication may be performed by a sound or vibration.

An information processing device in which a notification from anapplication is performed by a sound or vibration as described above isdisclosed in Patent Literature 1. A client device disclosed in PatentLiterature 1 is a terminal including an imaging unit, and a notificationis given to the user by vibration.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: JP 2016-25620A

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical Problem

However, since a sensitivity that a person feels vibration variesdepending on a contact state between an information processing deviceincluding a vibrating device and a user, it is preferable to correctvibration data in order to keep an experience strength at which the userfeels vibration constant. In this regard, the present disclosureproposes an information processing device, a method, and a computerprogram which are capable of correcting the vibration data in accordancewith the contact state between the information processing device and theuser.

Solution to Problem

According to the present disclosure, there is provided an informationprocessing device, including: a corrected vibration data generating unitconfigured to generate corrected vibration data obtained by correcting astrength of vibration data for a vibrating device including a vibratoron a basis of information provided from a detecting unit configured todetect a contact state of the vibrating device; and an vibration signalgenerating unit configured to generate a vibration signal from thecorrected vibration data.

Further, according to the present disclosure, there is provided amethod, including: generating, by a processor, corrected vibration dataobtained by correcting a strength of vibration data for a vibratingdevice including a vibrator on a basis of information provided from adetecting unit configured to detect a contact state of the vibratingdevice; and generating, by the processor, a vibration signal on a basisof the corrected vibration data.

Further, according to the present disclosure, there is provided acomputer program causing a processor to generate corrected vibrationdata obtained by correcting a strength of vibration data for a vibratingdevice including a vibrator on a basis of information provided from adetecting unit configured to detect a contact state of the vibratingdevice, and generate a vibration signal on a basis of the correctedvibration data.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possibleto cause vibration to be generated suitable for a state between theinformation processing device including the vibrating device and theuser.

Note that the effects described above are not necessarily limitative.With or in the place of the above effects, there may be achieved any oneof the effects described in this specification or other effects that maybe grasped from this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wristband type wearableterminal.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relation between anexperience sensitivity of a person regarding vibration and a pressingpressure of a vibrating device against a person.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an external appearance ofa wristband type wearable terminal in an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which awristband type wearable terminal according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure is worn.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a wristbandtype wearable terminal according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process performed ina wristband type wearable terminal in an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an external appearance ofa jacket type wearable terminal according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a position relation between a vibratingdevice and a pressure sensor of a jacket type wearable terminalaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration ofa jacket type wearable terminal according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating examples of a virtual object and alistener generated in game machine.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process performedbetween a jacket type wearable terminal and a game machine in anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a vibration experience strength ineach part of a person.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wearing position of awearable terminal in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example of anotherconfiguration of the wearable terminal according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a table illustrating a relation between correctioninformation stored in a storage unit of a wearable terminal and a partin an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a processperformed in a wearable terminal in an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vibration standequipped with a vibrating device in an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure of avibrating plate placed in the vibration stand illustrated in FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vibrating device in anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross section of avibrating device in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a method of wearing a vibrating devicein an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a relation between a vibrationstrength and a resonance frequency of a vibrating device in anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating another example of an event in whichfeedback of vibration occurs in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a method in which a shape and textureof a virtual object is expressed by vibration.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a method in which a shape and textureof a virtual object is expressed by vibration.

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating a method in which a shape and textureof a virtual object is expressed by vibration.

FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating a method in which a shape and textureof a virtual object is expressed by vibration.

FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a method in which a shape and textureof a virtual object is expressed by vibration.

MODE(S) FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, (a) preferred embodiment(s) of the present disclosure willbe described in detail with reference to the appended drawings. Notethat, in this specification and the appended drawings, structuralelements that have substantially the same function and structure aredenoted with the same reference numerals, and repeated explanation ofthese structural elements is omitted.

Further, the description will proceed in the following order.

-   0. Background-   1. Example in which vibration data is corrected in accordance with    pressing pressure-   1-1. Wristband type wearable terminal-   1-2. Jacket type wearable terminal-   2. Example in which vibration data is corrected in accordance with    wearing position-   2-1. Example in which strength of vibration data is corrected in    accordance with wearing position-   2-2. Example in which frequency of vibration data is corrected in    accordance with wearing position-   3. Structure of vibrating device-   4. Feedback caused by non-contact event on virtual manipulation    object-   5. Feedback of vibration based on shape and material of virtual    object-   6. Application example of feedback-   7. Supplement-   8. Conclusion

<<0. Background>>

First, a background of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1is an example of a wearable terminal 10 which is contrasted with aninformation disclosure device of the present disclosure. The wearableterminal 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a wristband type, and the wearableterminal 10 is worn such that a band is wound around the arm or the likeof the user.

Further, for example, the wearable terminal 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 mayhave a function of a pedometer and gives a notification indicating thata predetermined number of steps is reached to the user by the vibration.Therefore, the wearable terminal 10 internally includes a vibratingdevice 12 that gives vibration to the user.

The user may receive a notification given through vibration from thewearable terminal 10. Further, in a form of a terminal such as thewearable terminal 10, the contact state between the user and thewearable terminal 10 changes in accordance with a use scene. Forexample, the wearable terminal 10 is strongly pressed against the userwhen the band is strongly wound and is loosely pressed against the userwhen the band is loosely wound. Accordingly, the vibrating device 12 ofthe wearable terminal 10 is strongly or loosely pressed against theuser. At this time, a vibration experience sensitivity of the userdiffers depending on a pressing pressure at which the vibrating device12 is pressed against the user.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relation between anexperience sensitivity of a person regarding vibration and a pressingpressure of a vibrating device against a person. As can be seen fromFIG. 2, as the pressing pressure of the vibrating device 12 increases, avibration experience strength of a person increases. Thus, although thesame magnitude of vibration occurs, if the wearable terminal 10 isstrongly worn on the user as the band is tightened tightly, the userfeels strong vibration. On the other hand, if the wearable terminal 10is loosely worn on a person as the band is loosely tightened, the userfeels weak vibration.

Further, there are cases in which the relation between the pressingpressure of the vibrating device 12 against the person and the vibrationexperience strength is not a proportional relation illustrated in FIG.2. For example, in a case in which the pressing pressure of thevibrating device 12 becomes extremely large, the vibration of thevibrating device 12 is restricted by the contact surface between thevibrating device 12 and the person. For this reason, the vibrationgenerated from the vibrating device 12 is weakened, and the vibrationexperience strength is weakened accordingly, unlike the exampleillustrated in FIG. 2.

As described above, even though the vibrating device 12 is vibratingwith the same physical vibration strength, the vibration experiencestrength actually felt by the user differs depending on the pressingpressure of the vibrating device 12. Therefore, in the informationprocessing device according to the present disclosure, the vibrationdata is corrected in order to keep the vibration experience strength tobe constant in view of a difference in the pressing pressure of thevibrating device 12 against the body of the user.

<<1. Example in which Vibration Data is Corrected in Accordance withPressing Pressure>>

<1-1. Wristband Type Wearable Terminal>

The background of the present disclosure has been described above. Awearable terminal 100 which is an example of the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment will be described below. FIG.3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an external appearance of thewristband type wearable terminal 100 according to the presentembodiment.

The wristband type wearable terminal 100 is worn such that the band iswound around the arm or the like of the user. For example, the wristbandtype wearable terminal 100 may have a function of a pedometer, and, forexample, the wristband type wearable terminal 100 includes a vibratingdevice 102 that gives a notification indicating that a predeterminednumber of steps is reached to the user by vibration. Further, thewristband type wearable terminal 100 includes a pressure sensor 104 thatdetects the contact state between the vibrating device 102 and the armof the user. The pressure sensor 104 detects how strongly the wearableterminal 100 is pressed against the user by detecting the pressure, thatis, how strongly the vibrating device 102 is pressed against the user.Further, in the following description, detection of the contact statebetween the wearable terminal 100 and the user by the pressure sensor104 is described as being synonymous with detection of the contact statebetween the vibrating device 102 and the user. Further, the pressuresensor 104 is an example of a detecting unit that detects the contactstate of the vibrating device 102.

Note that the vibrating device 102 may be a device equipped with avibrator such as an eccentric motor with a shape-biased weight attachedto a rotation axis of a motor. Further, the vibrating device 102 may bea device equipped with a vibrator such as a voice coil motor, a piezoactuator, or an electromagnetic linear actuator.

Further, the pressure sensor 104 may be a sensor equipped with apressure sensitive element which converts pressure into an electricsignal such as a piezo element or may be a sensor which is equipped witha capacitor whose capacitance changes in accordance with pressure andconverts a change in capacitance to an electric signal. Further, thepressure sensor 104 may be a film type pressure sensor 104.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view when the wearable terminal 100 is wornon an arm 900 of the user. The wearable terminal 100 is worn such thatthe band is wound around the arm 900 of the user. Further, the pressuresensor 104 is preferably placed between the vibrating device 102 and thearm 900 of the user when the wearable terminal 100 is worn on the arm900 of the user as illustrated in FIG. 4. This is because it ispreferable that the pressing pressure of the vibrating device 102against the user be measured at a position close to the contact positionbetween the vibrating device 102 and the arm 900 of the user. In otherwords, since a part of the arm 900 of the user having a small distanceto the vibrating device 102 most strongly senses the vibration of thevibrating device 102, the pressure sensor 104 is preferably placedbetween the vibrating device 102 and the arm 900 of the user.

The external appearance of the wearable terminal 100 according to thepresent embodiment and the position relation between the pressure sensor104 and the vibrating device 102 when the wearable terminal 100 is wornon the user have been described above. An internal configuration of thewearable terminal 100 according to the present embodiment will bedescribed below.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of thewearable terminal 100 according to the present embodiment. The wearableterminal 100 further includes a processing unit 106, a correctedvibration data generating unit 108, and a vibration signal generatingunit 110. The processing unit 106 performs a process associated with anapplication of the wearable terminal 100. The application processed bythe processing unit 106 is, for example, an application having afunction of a pedometer. Further, the processing unit 106 generates thevibration data for the vibrating device 102 on the basis of aninstruction given from the application. For example, the processing unit106 may generate the vibration data when the counted number of stepsreaches a predetermined number of steps.

The corrected vibration data generating unit 108 generates correctedvibration data obtained by correcting the strength of the vibration datafor the vibrating device 102 generated by the processing unit 106 on thebasis of the information provided from the pressure sensor 104. Asdescribed above, a person feels strong vibration if the pressingpressure of the vibrating device 102 increases. Therefore, the correctedvibration data generating unit 108 generates corrected vibration datawhich strengthens the strength of the vibration data in a case in whichthe pressure detected by the pressure sensor 104 is low and correctedvibration data which weakens the strength of the vibration data in acase in which the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 104 is high.For example, the corrected vibration data generating unit 108 maygenerate the corrected vibration data by multiplying the vibration databy a reciprocal of a value of the vibration experience sensitivityillustrated in FIG. 2 as a coefficient. When the corrected vibrationdata is generated as described above, it is possible to perform controlsuch that a sensory strength at which the user feels the vibration isconstant.

The vibration signal generating unit 110 generates a vibration signalfor driving the vibrating device 102 on the basis of the correctedvibration data generated by the corrected vibration data generating unit108. For example, the vibration signal generating unit 110 performs D/Aconversion or the like on the corrected vibration data and generates thevibration signal which is an analog signal.

The configuration of the wristband type wearable terminal 100 has beendescribed above. A process performed in the wristband type wearableterminal 100 will be described below. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustratinga process performed in the wristband type wearable terminal 100.

First, in S100, the processing unit 106 generates the vibration data fordriving the vibrating device 102 on the basis of an instruction givenfrom the application. For example, the processing unit 106 may generatethe vibration data to give a notification indicating that the number ofsteps reaches a predetermined number of steps in an application having afunction of a pedometer.

Then, in S102, the pressure sensor 104 detects the pressure and detectsthe contact state between the wearable terminal 100 and the user. Then,the pressure sensor 104 transmits information related to the detectedpressure to the corrected vibration data generating unit 108.

Then, in S104, the corrected vibration data generating unit 108generates the corrected vibration data on the basis of the vibrationdata received from the processing unit 106 and the information relatedto the pressure received from the pressure sensor 104. The correctedvibration data generating unit 108 generates the corrected vibrationdata which strengthens the strength of the vibration data in a case inwhich the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 104 is low andgenerates the corrected vibration data which weakens the strength of thevibration data in a case in which the pressure detected by the pressuresensor 104 is high.

Then, the vibration signal generating unit 110 receives the correctedvibration data from the corrected vibration data generating unit 108,performs a process such as D/A conversion, and generates the vibrationsignal. Further, the vibrating device 102 vibrates on the basis of thevibration signal generated by the vibration signal generating unit 110.

As described above, since the vibrating device 102 vibrates on the basisof the corrected vibration data which is corrected on the basis of theinformation related to the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 104,the vibration causing the user to have the same sensory strength isgenerated regardless of the contact state of the wearable terminal 100.

<1-2. Jacket Type Wearable Terminal>

The configuration of the wristband type wearable terminal 100 has beendescribed above. A jacket type wearable terminal 100 will be describedbelow. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an externalappearance of the jacket type wearable terminal 100. For example, thejacket type wearable terminal 100 may be used to feed the vibrationgenerated in the game software or the like back to the user.

Further, the jacket type wearable terminal 100 may include a pluralityof vibrating devices 102 a. to 102 f. Further, a plurality of vibratingdevices 102 a to 102 f may be placed to be bilaterally symmetric asillustrated in FIG. 7. Further, a plurality of vibrating devices 102 ato 102 f may be placed such that the vibrating devices 102 a and 102 dare placed on the chest, the vibrating devices 102 b and 102 e areplaced on the upper abdomen, and the vibrating devices 102 c and 102 fare placed on the lower abdomen as illustrated in FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating a wearing state when the jacket typewearable terminal 100 illustrated in FIG. 7 is worn on the user. Asillustrated in FIG. 8, similarly to the wristband type wearable terminal100, the jacket type wearable terminal 100 includes a pressure sensor104 that detects the contact state between the vibrating device 102 andthe user. The pressure sensor 104 detects the pressure and detects howstrongly the vibrating device 102 is pressed against the user. Further,the pressure sensor 104 is preferably placed between the vibratingdevice 102 and the user when the wearable terminal 100 is worn on theuser as illustrated in FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration ofthe jacket type wearable terminal 100. As described above, the jackettype wearable terminal 100 may be used to feed the vibration generatedin the game software or the like back to the user. Thus, the jacket typewearable terminal 100 according to the present embodiment is connectedto a game machine 200 and receives the corrected vibration data from thegame machine 200.

Configurations of the game machine 200 and the jacket type wearableterminal 100 illustrated in FIG. 9 will be described below. Since thejacket type wearable terminal 100 illustrated in FIG. 9 receives thevibration data from the game machine 200, the jacket type wearableterminal 100 may not include the corrected vibration data generatingunit 108, unlike the configuration of the wristband type wearableterminal 100 illustrated in FIG. 5. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 9,the jacket type wearable terminal 100 includes a communication unit 112that receives the vibration data from the game machine 200.

Further, the wearable terminal 100 transmits information related to thepressure detected by the pressure sensor 104 to the game machine 200 viathe communication unit 112. Further, the communication unit 112 may be anear field communication (NFC) interface such as Bluetooth (a registeredtrademark). Further, the communication unit 112 is not limited to theinterface described above and may be an NFC interface such as ZigBee (aregistered trademark).

Next, the configuration of the game machine 200 will be described. Thegame machine 200 includes a communication unit 202, a processing unit204, and a corrected vibration data generating unit 206. Thecommunication unit 202 is used to perform transmission and reception ofinformation with the wearable terminal 100. The processing unit 204executes a process associated with the game software. For example, theprocessing unit 204 may process information related to the virtual spacebased on the game software illustrated in FIG. 10.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, a virtual object 300 is placed in the virtualspace based on the game software, and listeners 302 a to 302 f thatdetect a contact with the virtual object 300 or an arrival of a sound atthe virtual object 300 are placed in the virtual object 300. Forexample, in a case in which another virtual object 300 conies intocontact with the listener 302 a to 302 f in the virtual space, theprocessing unit 204 generates the vibration data on the basis ofinformation at the time of contact. Further, the listeners 302 a to 302f correspond to the vibrating devices 102 a to 102 f of the jacket typewearable terminal 100, respectively. Thus, for example, when anothervirtual object 300 comes into contact with the listener 302 a, theprocessing unit 204 generates the vibration data for causing thevibrating device 102 a to vibrate.

Returning to the description of the configuration of the game machine200, the corrected vibration data generating unit 206 of the gamemachine 200 generates the corrected vibration data obtained bycorrecting the vibration data generated by the processing unit 204 onthe basis of the information detected by the pressure sensor 104 of thewearable terminal 100.

The configuration of the jacket type wearable terminal 100 and gamemachine 200 has been described above. A process performed in the jackettype wearable terminal 100 and the game machine 200 will be describedbelow. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed in thejacket type wearable terminal 100 and the game machine 200.

First, in S200, the pressure sensor 104 detects the pressure and detectsthe contact state between the wearable terminal 100 and the user. Then,the pressure sensor 104 transmits information related to the detectedpressure to the processing unit 106. Then, in S202, the processing unit106 transmits the information related to the pressure received from thepressure sensor 104 to the game machine 200 via the communication unit112.

Then, in S204, the processing unit 204 of the game machine 200 generatesthe vibration data on the basis of an instruction given from the gamesoftware. The instruction given from the game software may be generated,for example, on the basis of the contact between another virtual object300 and the listener 302 a.

Then, in S206, the corrected vibration data generating unit 206 of thegame machine 200 generates the corrected vibration data on the basis ofthe vibration data received from the processing unit 204 and theinformation received from the pressure sensor 104. At this time, in acase in which the vibration data for causing the vibrating device 102 ato vibrate is generated by the processing unit 204, the correctedvibration data generating unit 206 of the game machine 200 generates thecorrected vibration data on the basis of the information provided fromthe pressure sensor 104 that detects the contact state between thevibrating device 102 a and the user.

Then, in S208, the processing unit 204 of the game machine 200 transmitsthe corrected vibration data generated by the corrected vibration datagenerating unit 206 to the wearable terminal 100 via the communicationunit 202. Then, in S210, the vibration signal generating unit 110performs a process such as D/A conversion on the corrected vibrationdata received from the game machine 200 and generates the vibrationsignal. Then, the vibrating device 102 vibrates on the basis of thevibration signal generated by the vibration signal generating unit 110in S212.

As described above, the vibration data may be corrected by aninformation processing device other than the wearable terminal 100 suchas the game machine 200. Further, since a plurality of pressure sensors104 corresponding to a plurality of vibrating devices 102 are placed,the corrected vibration data is generated in accordance with the contactstate between each vibrating device 102 and the user.

Further, in the above example, the pressure sensor 104 is used to detectthe pressing pressure of the vibrating device 102 against the user.However, the detecting unit that detects the pressing pressure of thevibrating device 102 against the user is not limited to the pressuresensor 104. For example, the detecting unit that detects the pressingpressure of the vibrating device 102 against the user may be anacceleration sensor or a gyro sensor. Further, the acceleration sensoror the gyro sensor may detect secondary vibration occurring by thewearable terminal 100 not being pressed against the user, and theprocessing unit 106 may estimate the pressing pressure of the vibratingdevice 102 against the user on the basis of the secondary vibrationdetected by the acceleration sensor or the gyro sensor.

The secondary vibration detected by the acceleration sensor or the gyrosensor here is vibration occurring by the wearable terminal 100 beingshaken in a state in which the wearable terminal 100 is not stronglyworn on the user. For example, the secondary vibration is vibrationdetected by the user shaking his/her hand, and the wearable terminal 100being shaken in a case in which the wearable terminal 100 is worn on thewrist.

Further, the corrected vibration data generating unit 108 may generatethe corrected vibration data on the basis of the pressing pressureestimated by the processing unit 106 on the basis of the informationdetected by the acceleration sensor or the gyro sensor. For example, thecorrected vibration data generating unit 108 generates correctedvibration data which strengthens the strength of the vibration data in acase in which the magnitude of the secondary vibration acceleration, anangular speed, or an angular acceleration detected by the accelerationsensor or the gyro sensor is large. Further, the corrected vibrationdata generating unit 108 may generate corrected vibration data whichweakens the strength of the vibration data in a case in which themagnitude of the secondary vibration acceleration, an angular speed, oran angular acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor or the gyrosensor is small.

Further, although the wearable terminal 100 has been mainly describedabove, the process described above may be applied to informationprocessing devices grasped by the user such as smartphones or gamecontrollers. At this time, the information processing device grasped bythe user may detect grasping pressure of the user through the pressuresensor 104.

Further, in an information processing device having a touch panel suchas a smartphone, the pressing pressure of the vibrating device 102against the user may be detected using the touch panel. For example, ina case in which the smartphone is inserted in a pocket, the smartphonemay detect the pressing pressure of the vibrating device 102 against theuser using the touch panel.

<<2. Example in which Vibration Data is Corrected in Accordance withWearing Position>><2-1. Example in which Strength of Vibration Data is Corrected inAccordance with Wearing Position>

The example in which the vibration data is corrected in accordance withthe pressing pressure of the vibrating device 102 against the user hasbeen described above. An example in which the vibration data iscorrected in accordance with the wearing position of the vibratingdevice 102 will be described below

As described above, the sensitivity at which the user feels thevibration changes depending on the pressing pressure of the vibratingdevice 102 against the user. Further, the sensitivity at which the userfeels the vibration differs depending on a part of the body. FIG. 12 isa diagram simply illustrating a relation between each part of the bodyand a sensitivity at which the vibration is felt.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, a human hand has a high sensitivity to thevibration, and the lower abdomen and the lower legs have a lowsensitivity to the vibration. Further, a sensitivity of the upper armsand the chest is moderate, and a sensitivity of a part close to the ribsin the chest is high. As described above, the sensitivity at which aperson feels the vibration varies from part to part. Therefore, in acase in which the vibration data is not corrected, for example, in acase in which a state in which the wristband type wearable terminal 100is worn on the hand is compared with a state in which the wristband typewearable terminal 100 is worn on the ankle, the user feels weakervibration for the same vibration strength in the letter state. Thus, forexample, in a case in which the user wears the wearable terminal 100 onthe ankle, the user may not notice a notification given through thevibration.

Due to the reasons described above, it is preferable that the strengthof the vibration data be corrected on the basis of a position on whichthe wearable terminal 100 is worn so that the user can feel the samevibration.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating positions on which the wristband typewearable terminal 100 illustrated. in FIG. 3 is likely to be worn. Thewristband type wearable terminal 100 may be worn on the wrist or may beworn on the upper arm or the ankle. Under such circumstances, since thehuman sensitivity to the vibration differs as described above, thewearable terminal 100 according to the present embodiment corrects thevibration data in accordance with a wearing position. Further, areference device 800 illustrated in FIG. 13 is used to determine thewearing position of the wearable terminal 100 as will be describedlater.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the wearableterminal 100 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG.14, the wearable terminal 100 according to the present embodimentfurther includes a position detecting sensor 114 and a storage unit 116.

The position detecting sensor 114 detects the position of the wearableterminal 100. For example, the position detecting sensor 114 may be amotion sensor such as an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor. Further,the position detecting sensor 114 may estimate the wearing position ofthe wearable terminal 100 from a trend of change in information detectedby the motion sensor. Here, the information detected by the motionsensor may be an acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor or anangular speed or an angular acceleration detected by the gyro sensor.

Further, the position detecting sensor 114 may be a magnetic sensor, anultrasonic sensor, or a sensor using a radio wave. For example, theposition detecting sensor 114 may estimate the wearing position of thewearable terminal 100 on the basis of a distance or a direction from thereference device 800 as illustrated in FIG. 13. At this time, in orderto detect the distance or the direction from the reference device 800, amagnetic wave, an ultrasonic wave, or a radio wave described above maybe used.

The storage unit 116 stores a relation between the wearing position ofthe wearable terminal 100 and the correction information as illustratedin FIG. 15. For example, in a case in which the wearable terminal 100 isworn on the wrist having the high sensitivity, the correctioninformation is stored so that the vibration strength is relativelyweakened. Further, in a case in which the wearable terminal 100 is wornon the upper arm having the moderate sensitivity, the correctioninformation is stored so that the vibration strength is relativelystronger than in a case in which the wearable terminal 100 is worn onthe wrist. Further, the vibration data correction method is not limitedto the example described above, and the corrected vibration datagenerating unit 108 may generate the corrected vibration data bymultiplying the vibration data by a reciprocal of a value of thevibration experience sensitivity illustrated in FIG. 12 as acoefficient.

The configuration of the wearable terminal 100 according to the presentembodiment has been described above. A process performed in the wearableterminal 100 according to the present embodiment will be describedbelow. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processperformed in the wearable terminal 100 according to the presentembodiment.

First, in S300, the processing unit 106 generates the vibration data fordriving the vibrating device 102. Then, in S302, the position detectingsensor 114 detects the wearing position of the wearable terminal 100.Then, in S304, the corrected vibration data generating unit 108generates the corrected vibration data on the basis of the vibrationdata received from the processing unit 106 and the wearing position ofthe wearable terminal 100 detected by the position detecting sensor 114.As described above, the corrected vibration data generating unit 108reads the correction information from the storage unit 116 on the basisof the wearing position of the wearable terminal 100 detected by theposition detecting sensor 114 and generates the corrected vibration datausing the correction information.

Then, the vibration signal generating unit 110 receives the correctedvibration data from the corrected vibration data generating unit 108,performs a process such as D/A conversion, and generates the vibrationsignal. Further, the vibrating device 102 vibrates on the basis of thevibration signal generated by the vibration signal generating unit 110.

As described above, the vibration data is corrected on the basis of thewearing position of the wearable terminal 100 detected by the positiondetecting sensor 114. Further, since the vibrating device 102 vibratesin accordance with the corrected vibration data, the vibration causingthe user to feel the same sensory strength regardless of the contactposition of the wearable terminal 100 is generated.

Further, it is also preferable to correct the vibration data even in thejacket type wearable terminal 100 including a plurality of vibratingdevices 102 as illustrated in FIG. 7. For example, in a case in which aplurality of vibrating devices 102 vibrate similarly (for example, in acase in which the type of vibration data is one), the user stronglyfeels the vibration generated from the vibrating device placed at aplace in which the pressing pressure is strong, and the user does notfeel a uniform vibration strength. Thus, in the present embodiment, thevibration data is corrected in accordance with the position of thevibrating device 102 installed in the jacket type wearable terminal 100.Further, in the jacket type wearable terminal 100, since the positionsof a plurality of vibrating devices 102 are decided in advance, it ispossible to correct the vibration data in accordance with theinstallation position of the vibrating device 102 in the wearableterminal 100 with no process of detecting the wearing position of thevibrating device 102.

For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the vibration datafor the vibrating devices 102 c and 102 f positioned closer to the lowerabdomen having the relatively low vibration sensitivity may be correctedto be stronger than the vibration data for the vibrating devices 102 aand 102 d positioned closer to the chest having the relatively highvibration sensitivity. According to the above-described configuration,the user can feel more uniform vibration in accordance with the wearingpart of the vibrating device 102. Accordingly, the user can experiencevibration giving a more realistic in a game, for example.

<2-2. Example in which Frequency of Vibration Data is Corrected inAccordance with Wearing Position>

The example in which the strength of the vibration data is corrected inaccordance with the wearing position has been described above. Anexample in which the frequency of the vibration data is corrected inaccordance with the wearing position will be described below.

As described above, the sensitivity that the user feels the vibrationchanges depending on the wearing position of the wearable terminal 100.Further, a human sensitivity to a frequency differs depending on a partof the body, and a sensitivity to vibration in X, Y, and Z axisdirections also differs depending on a frequency change or a part of thebody.

Thus, in a case in which an information processing device such as asmartphone including a vibrating device 102 is detected to be held inthe hand, it is preferable to correct the vibration data so that thevibrating device 102 vibrates at a frequency at which a sensitivity felton the palm is high. Further, in a case in which the smartphone isdetected to he inserted in a pocket or the like near the buttocks, it ispreferable to correct the vibration data so that the vibrating device102 vibrates at a frequency at which a sensitivity felt at the buttocksis high. Specifically, for example, in a case in which it is detectedthat the smartphone is accommodated in a pocket or the like in thevicinity of the buttocks, it is desirable to causing the smartphone tovibrate by relatively lowering the frequency of vibration compared witha normal state such as a state in which the smartphone is held by hand.Alternatively, in a case in which the smartphone is detected to beinserted a bag or in a case in which the smartphone is detected to beplaced on a surface, it is preferable to change the frequency ofvibration and perform the vibration in accordance with each situation.

Further, the fact that the smartphone is held by the hand or inserted inthe pocket near the buttocks may be detected through the similarconfiguration as the position detecting sensor 114. In other words, theposition detecting sensor 114 may estimate the position of thesmartphone from a trend of change in information detected by the motionsensor. Further, the position detecting sensor 114 may be a magneticsensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a sensor using a radio wave andestimate the position of the smartphone on the basis of a distance or adirection from the reference device 800.

Further, that fact that the smartphone is held by the hand or insertedin the pocket may be estimated through a proximity sensor installed inthe smartphone. Specifically, in a case in which an object is determinedto be placed near a screen of the smartphone through the proximitysensor, the smartphone may be estimated to be in the pocket or the bag.Further, in a case in which no object is determined to be placed nearthe screen of the smartphone, the smartphone may be estimated to be inthe hand. The estimation described above may be performed by acombination of values of the proximity sensor and the motion sensor.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 12, since the hand and the buttocksgreatly differ in the sensitivity to the strength of vibration, it ispreferable to correct the vibration data for the strength of vibrationin addition to the vibration data for the vibration frequency.

As described above, the vibration data is corrected so that thefrequency at which the vibrating device 102 vibrates changes on thebasis of the position detected by the position detecting sensor 114.Accordingly, the user can experience vibration suitable for asensitivity characteristic of each part to the strength of vibration orthe frequency.

Further, the process of correcting the vibration data may be applied toa stationary type system that presents vibration to the user. FIG. 17 isa diagram illustrating an example of a system including a display device500 that displays a video, a head mounted type wearable terminal 600that presents vibration to a user 902, and a vibration stand 700.

In the system illustrated in FIG. 17, a video for presenting a feelingof flying in the sky to the user 902 may be displayed on the displaydevice 500. Further, in the system according to the present embodiment,the user 902 can feel vibration on the front of the body since the user902 lies on the vibration stand 700, and the vibration is presented tothe user 902 by the head mounted type wearable device 600. Further, thedisplay device 500 may be a head mounted display instead of a screen asillustrated in FIG. 17.

In the system illustrated in FIG. 17, vibration of cutting through airis presented to the user using the head mounted type wearable device 600and the vibration stand 700, and thus the user 902 can experience afeeling that the user 902 is flying in the sky. Further, the headmounted type wearable terminal 600 and the vibration stand 700 are anexample of an information processing device that corrects the vibrationdata as described above.

The head mounted type wearable device 600 may present the vibration tothe user 902, and the vibration may be presented behind the head of theuser 902 or behind the neck. Accordingly, an illusion of acenter-of-gravity sensation is given to the user 902, and anacceleration/deceleration feeling which the user 902 feels is enhanced.Further, since vibration of expressing a feeling of collision in frontof the head of the user 902 is presented, the feeling of flying in thesky is further enhanced. At this time, the head mounted type wearabledevice 600 may further include a pressure sensor 104 and correct thevibration data as described above on the basis of the pressure detectedby the pressure sensor 104.

The vibration stand 700 according to the present embodiment includes avibrating plate 702 and a pedestal 704. A plurality of vibrating plates702 may be installed in the vibration stand 700, and the vibrating plate702 presents the vibration to the user 902 as the vibrating device 102vibrates. As illustrated in FIG. 17, since the user 902 lies on thevibration stand 700, the vibration is presented in a state in which theweight of the user 902 is not applied to the leg of the user 902, andthus the feeling of floating which the user 902 feels is enhanced.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration betweenthe vibrating plate 702 and the pedestal 704. Each vibrating plate 702includes the vibrating device 102, and when the vibrating device 102vibrates, the vibrating plate 702 also vibrates. Further, each vibratingplate 702 is supported by an elastic member 706 to be able to vibratethe pedestal 704.

Further, similarly to the jacket type wearable terminal 100, in thevibration stand 700, a correspondence relation between a part of thebody of the user 902 and the position of the vibrating plate 702 isbasically specified. Hence, it is preferable to correct the vibrationdata so that the vibration strength and the frequency of each vibratingplate 702 change in accordance with the difference in the sensitivity ofeach part of a person who feels the vibration.

Further, in the vibration stand 700 according to the present embodiment,the position relation between a part of the body of the user 902 and thevibrating plate 702 may change in accordance with the height of the user902. Therefore, the position relation between a part of the body of theuser 902 and the vibrating plate 702 may be automatically correctedusing height information or the like of the user 902.

Further, each vibrating plate 702 of the vibration stand 700 furtherincludes a pressure sensor 104 that detects a contact pressure with thebody of the user 902. and the vibration data correction described abovemay be performed on the basis of the pressure detected by the pressuresensor 104. Alternatively, instead of the pressure sensor 104, a rangesensor or the like for detecting a deformation amount of the elasticmember 706 may be provided, and the vibration data correction may beperformed on the basis of a distance detected by the range sensor. Atthis time, since the pressing pressure on the vibrating device 102 isestimated to increase as the distance decreases, for example, thecorrection may be performed to weaken the vibration data.

<<3. Structure of Vibrating Device>>

The example in which the vibration data is corrected in accordance withthe wearing position has been described above. A specific configurationof the vibrating device 102 according to the present disclosure will bedescribed below. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an externalappearance of the vibrating device 102, and FIG. 20 is a diagramillustrating a cross section of the vibrating device 102. As illustratedin FIGS. 19 and 20, the vibrating device 102 includes a case 400 havingan elliptical-shaped cross section. As described above, since the crosssection of the case 400 has an elliptical shape, even if an angle atwhich the vibrating device 102 comes into contact with the body of theuser 902 changes, the vibrating device 102 comes into contact with thebody of the user 902 at the similar pressure.

In further detail, referring to FIG. 20, the cross section of the case400 has a major axis L1 and a minor axis L2. Further, a vibrator 118 isplaced on one of surfaces 400 a and 400 b in which the minor axis L2 anda tangent line are perpendicular. In a case in which the vibrator 118 isplaced as described above, the surface 400 a on which the vibrator 118is not placed vibrates more strongly than the surface 400 b on which thevibrator 118 is placed owing to the vibration of the vibrator 118.Further, as illustrated in FIG. 20, since a magnitude of a generatedsound decreases as the area of the surface 400 a which vibrates morestrongly decreases, an opening portion 402 for controlling thegeneration of the sound is placed in the surface 400 a of the case 400which vibrates more strongly.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the vibrating device102 is worn on the user 902. As illustrated in FIG. 21, the vibratingdevice 102 is placed so that the surface 400 a on which the vibrator 118is not placed is a contact surface with the user 902. With such aconfiguration, since the surface 400 a on which the vibrator 118 of thecase 400 is not placed strongly vibrates by the vibration of thevibrator 118, the vibration is efficiently transferred to the user 902.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a resonance frequency(frequency characteristic) of the vibrating device 102. FIG. 22illustrates that the vibration strength increases at around 200 Hz, 400Hz, and 600 Hz. As described above, the resonance frequency of the case400 is adjusted in accordance with the vibration frequency sensitivitycharacteristic of each part, and thus the vibration is transferred tothe user 902 with high energy efficiency. For example, since thefrequency at which the sensitivity is high in the palm is 200 Hz asdescribed above, it is preferable that the vibrating device 102installed in the wearable terminal 100 worn on the palm have theresonance frequency of 200 Hz.

Further, the resonance frequency may be set in accordance with a peakfrequency (for example, 200 Hz) of the human sensitivity so that thevibration strength may be sensibly maximized. Further, conversely, theresonance frequency of the case 400 may be set in accordance with thesensitivity of the part with low human sensitivity to the vibration (forexample, the buttocks) so that the frequency characteristic of thevibration felt by the user 902 can be made close to flat.

Further, instead of employing the structure of the case 400, thevibration strength may be maximized or flattened by performing anelectrical/software frequency correction process on an input signal.Since the frequency sensitivity characteristics differ depending on thepart of the person as described above, it is preferable that thefrequency correction of the characteristic of the case 400 and the inputvibration be changed in accordance with the position in which thevibrating device 102 is placed. Further, the pressure sensor 104 thatdetects the pressing pressure of the vibrating device 102 against theuser 902 may be placed on the surface of the case 400 of the vibratingdevice 102.

<<4. Feedback Caused by Non-Contact Event on Virtual ManipulationObject>>

Meanwhile, in recent years, an event in a virtual space for a game isfed back to the user by vibration. In a case in which a game machinemain body is grasped by the user, the game machine main body can vibrateand in a case in which a controller separated from the game machine mainbody is grasped by the user, the controller can vibrate.

For example, in a case in which a virtual manipulation object serving astarget to be manipulated by the user is placed in the virtual space, andthe virtual manipulation object collides with another virtual object inthe virtual space, the game machine causes a vibrating device placed inthe game machine or the controller to vibrate. Further, the game machinecan control the feedback of the vibration even in a case in which thevirtual object does not collide with the virtual manipulation object. Aspecific example will be described below in detail with reference toFIG. 23.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the feedback ofthe vibration is given on the basis of a shock wave 82 generated by ashock wave generation source 80 placed at a position apart from thevirtual manipulation object 40 a. Further, the shock wave generationsource 80 may be, for example, an explosion, and propagation of theshock wave 82 may be simulated by the physical engine within the virtualspace.

In an example of FIG. 23, a virtual manipulation object 40 a is placedat a position indicated by a controller 280, and a shock wave 82 causedby an explosion occurred within the virtual space reaches the virtualmanipulation object 40 a, and thus the feedback of the vibration isgiven. At this time, the feedback of the vibration may be performed inaccordance with a nature of a medium between the virtual manipulationobject 40 a and the shock wave generation source 80.

For example, the feedback of the vibration in a case in which the mediumis air and the feedback of the vibration in a case in which the mediumis water may differ in a strength of the vibration. At this time, in acase in which the medium is water, the vibration may be weaker than thevibration in a case in which the medium is air. This is because apropagation characteristic of the simulated shock wave 82 differsdepending on a medium.

Accordingly, the user can feel that the virtual manipulation object 40 amanipulated by the user is, for example, in the water by the feedback ofthe vibration, and thus the virtual sense of presence that the user canobtain is further improved.

Further, the vibration data may be generated simply in accordance with adistance between the shock wave generation source 80 and the virtualmanipulation object 40 a instead of the propagation of the shock wave 82simulated within the virtual space. Accordingly, the feedback of thevibration is given by the physical engine having a simpler configurationas well.

<<5. Feedback of Vibration Based on Shape and Material of VirtualObject>>

The example in which the feedback of the vibration is given on the basisof the shock wave 82 has been described above. The feedback of thevibration based on a shape and a material of the virtual object 40 willbe described below in further detail.

FIGS. 24 to 27 are diagrams illustrating an example in which the virtualmanipulation object 40 a passes over a semicircular virtual object 40 d.The feedback of the vibration in such a situation will be describedbelow. Further, the semicircular virtual object 40 d has a surfacehaving small friction (having a slippery feel).

As illustrated in FIGS. 24 to 25, when the virtual manipulation object40 a moves and comes into contact with an end portion of thesemicircular virtual object 40 d, feedback of vibration with a shortvibration time is given. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 26, the feedbackof the vibration is not given while the virtual manipulation object 40 ais moving on the surface of the semicircular virtual object 40 d. Then,as illustrated in FIG. 27, when the virtual manipulation object 40 agets down to the other end of the semicircular virtual object 40 d,feedback of vibration with a short vibration time is given again.

As described above, the vibration having the short vibration time ispresented to the user at a timing at which the shape of the surface withwhich the virtual manipulation object 40 a comes into contact changes(in the states illustrated in FIGS. 25 and 27), and thus the user canfeel the change in the shape of the surface. Further, while the virtualmanipulation object 40 a is moving on the surface with small friction(in the state in FIG. 26), since the vibration is not presented, theuser can feel the slippery feel. Further, at this time, since thevirtual manipulation object 40 a moves along the surface of thesemicircular virtual object 40 d, the user can feel a swollen shape ofthe semicircular virtual object 40 d even through a sense of vision.

Further, in a case in which the virtual manipulation object 40 a moveson a surface having large friction (having a rough feel), differentvibration feedbacks may be given. FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating anexample in which a part 40 e of the semicircular virtual object has asurface having large friction. At this time, when the virtualmanipulation object 40 a moves on the surface 40 e having the largefriction of the semicircular virtual object, vibration giving the userwith a friction feeling is continuously provided to the user, and thusthe user has a rough feel. Further, the vibration may change inaccordance with a speed at which the user manipulates the virtualmanipulation object 40 a. For example, in the example of FIG. 28, as thespeed at which the user manipulates the virtual manipulation object 40 aincreases, a time interval in which the controller 280 vibrates maydecrease.

Further, in a case in which the virtual manipulation object 40 a movesfrom a surface with small friction to a surface with large friction, thevibration to he given to the user changes, and thus the user can feel achange in the texture from the change in the vibration.

<<6. Application Example of Feedback>>

A specific example of the vibration feedback in a portable terminalwhich is disclosed in, for example, JP 2015-231098A and is grasped bythe user and includes a vibrating device (an actuator) placed in eachgrip part grasped by the left and right hands of the user will bedescribed below.

The terminal executes, for example, an application in which upper,lower, left, and right edges of a screen are set as side surfaces of avirtual box, and a ball virtually set in the box rolls upwards,downward, leftwards, and rightwards in the screen in accordance with aninclination of the game machine detected by the acceleration sensor (ina structure in which the box including the ball therein is looked intofrom an opening portion side, a behavior of the ball rolling in the boxis simulated, and a behavior of ball including bounce When it hits theside surface is simulated by a physical simulator in the application.).

In the application, when the ball rolls or collides with the wall, audioor haptic feedback whose magnitude changes in accordance with a relativespeed of the box and the ball is generated (it is an output from oneactuator, and the user perceives a low band and intermediate and highbands as haptic information and a sound, respectively. As an audio orhaptic feedback pattern, a decided waveform pattern is set in advance inaccordance with a type of ball. In other words, the user obtainsfeedback of each piece of information of a sense of vision, a sense ofhearing, and a sense of touch from the terminal. Further, since theinclination of the terminal is reflected in the behavior, the user canrecognize his/her own somesthetic sense (information related to howhis/her body moves) together as information.

When the ball hits the right and left walls, the user can intuitivelyrecognize the wall which the ball hits on the basis of only the hapticinformation without visual or auditory information. Further, the userobtains a feeling that shock vibration occurs in a part which the ballcollides and is transferred to the hand. This is because the actuatorsare placed on the left and right, the output of the left actuatorincreases when the ball hits the left, and the output of the rightactuator increases when the ball hits the right. Accordingly, similarlyto a stereo effect of a sound, the user perceives either the left orright wall as the wall which the ball hits on the basis of the magnitudeof the haptic information.

On the other hand, when the ball hits the upper or lower wall, audio andhaptic signals output from the actuator are the same for both the upperand lower walls (if a collision speed is the same). However, the userintuitively perceives the upper or lower wall as the wall which the ballhits. Further, the user has a feeling that the shock vibration occurs inan upper or lower collision part and is transferred to the hand.

It is because although the audio and haptic information is the samebefore and after, a cross modal effect works due to an action of a senseof vision and a somesthetic sense, and a “feeling of upward or downwardcollision” is obtained as an illusion accordingly. Further, even if theuser makes a trial while closing his/her eyes and blocking his/her senseof vision, the “feeling of upward or downward collision” is stillobtained as an illusion.

This is because the brain of the user thinks “I tilt the terminal sothat the front side goes down, and as a result, a sense of touch and asound are coming back by collision, and thus the information must comefrom the front (upper) wall” from experience knowledge. This is a simpleexample of cross modal perception.

As described above, the virtual ball is set in this application, but amaterial and a size of the ball can be changed virtually. A differencein the texture of the ball is indicated by audio and haptic signalpatterns which are generated while the ball rolls or collides inaddition to a difference in an image. These signal patterns are obtainedby sampling of a collision sound and collision vibration of an actualball, data synthesis, or processing of existing sound effect sounds orthe like. Further, in order to make it more naturally, an appearance ofthe box side may differs depending on the material of the ball.

Further, in the case of metal, as compared with plastic, a metalproperty is expressed such that the audio and haptic information have areverberation for a relatively long time after a collision. Further, inthe case of rubber, a rubber property is expressed such that theoccurrence of the sound is suppressed to be smaller than the hapticinformation.

By enhancing the reality of information of the sense ofvision/sound/sense of touch, cross-modal perception is caused by aninteraction of such senses, and the user has a feeling of a “weight”which is not actually changed in a pseudo manner. Specifically, a metalball gives a relatively “heavy” feeling as compared with plastic.Further, a large ball gives a relatively “heavy” feeling as comparedwith a small ball. This is also an illusion that arises on the basis ofthe experience knowledge of the user.

Further, the presentation of a pseudo “feeling of weight” bypresentation of the information of the sense of vision/sound/sense oftouch can be similarly occurred in the system based on HapticJacketdescribed separately.

Next, the feedback described with reference to FIGS. 24 to 27 will besupplemented. In the feedback described with reference to FIGS. 24 to27, basically, control is performed such that up, down, left, and rightmovement of a bright point of the controller held by the user andmovement of the virtual ball (virtual manipulation object) in the screencoincide with each other. However, in a case in which the virtual ballgoes over the virtual object (a rough surface and a smooth surface inthe above-described drawing), although the movement of the user isstraight in the left and right direction, the ball is moved along thesurface of the virtual object as illustrated in FIG. 24 to FIG. 27without causing the movement of the ball to coincide with the movementof the user. When the ball enters or traces a convex surface, the hapticand audio feedbacks are given. With such control, the user is under anillusion that the movement of his/her arm but the trajectory of thevirtual object in the screen is the trajectory of his/her hand and thusintuitively feels an uneven feeling of the virtual object.

In a case in which the user makes a trial while blocking his/her senseof vision, the uneven feeling is not obtained, and thus this is anexample of cross-modal perception based on an interaction of thesomesthetic sense, the sense of touch, and the sense of hearingcentering on the sense of vision. By using such an effect, it ispossible to cause the user to feel a pseudo “sense of force” (reactionforce from a bulging surface).

In a similar system, when the virtual ball rolls on the uneven surfaceon which uneven patterns are repeatedly placed, similarly to the aboveexample, the visual information is not caused to coincide with themovement of the controller of the user, and the pseudo feeling may bepresented. Specifically, when the virtual ball goes over a step shape ofan uneven surface, the movement of the ball in the lateral direction isdelayed by a certain amount (even when the actual controller isdisplaced laterally, the ball is not displaced laterally), and thus a“feeling of snag” can be presented. After a certain amount of differenceis given to both the displacements, both the displacements are caused tocoincide with each other again, and thus accumulation of errors isprevented. Further, at this time, generating the haptic and audiofeedbacks before and after the snag is also effective in presenting thepseudo “feeling of snag.”

In a case in which the user makes a trial while blocking his/her senseof vision, the feeling of snag is not obtained, and thus this is anexample of cross-modal perception based on an interaction of thesomesthetic sense, the sense of touch, and the sense of hearingcentering on the sense of vision. By using such an effect, it ispossible to cause the user to feel a pseudo “sense of force” (reactionforce from the uneven surface).

In a similar system, a difference between the rough surface and thesmooth surface illustrated in FIG. 28 is expressed by the sense oftouch, the sense of vision, and the sense of hearing. Specifically, in acase in which it traces the rough surface, a waveform obtained bydeforming a pink noise is reproduced in accordance with the tracingspeed, and thus it is possible to present a “feeling of friction” to thetracing in a pseudo manner. By the action of presenting the weight senseof touch, the user feels as if the user were tracing the rough surfacelike a harsh surface.

On the other hand, in a case in which it traces the smooth surface, thesense of touch and the sound are not presented for the tracing motion,and it is possible to present a touch of the “smooth” surface. However,since a feeling of touching the surface is not obtained if nothing ispresented, it is possible to express a feeling of surface by returningpulse-like vibration based on a material at the beginning and end ofinvasion to the smooth surface.

The feeling of “rough” or “smooth” is greatly reinforced by a differencein a visual sense of roughness, and the pseudo reality is improved.Therefore, the feeling presentation is a cross modal effect based on aninteraction of the sense of vision and the sense of touch.

As in the examples described above, particularly, by performing thepresentation associated with the haptic feedback using the cross modaleffect which is an illusion phenomenon occurring in the brain of theuser, it is possible to significantly improve the implementation of thereality in the virtual space.

<<7. Supplement>>

The preferred embodiment(s) of the present disclosure has/have beendescribed above with reference to the accompanying drawings, whilst thepresent disclosure is not limited to the above examples. A personskilled in the art may find various alterations and modifications withinthe scope of the appended claims, and it should be understood that theywill naturally come under the technical scope of the present disclosure.

For example, in the above example, the vibration data is corrected inaccordance with the pressure detected by a single pressure sensor 104.However, a plurality of pressure sensors 104 may be installed in theinformation processing device, and the vibration data may be correctedby a value of the pressure distribution obtained from a plurality ofpressure sensors 104.

Further, in the above example, the vibration data is corrected inaccordance with the pressing pressure or the wearing position of thewearable terminal 100. However, the human sensitivity to the vibrationalso changes depending on a contact area between the informationprocessing device and the user 902. For example, since the contact areaof the thumb on the information processing device is larger than that ofthe index finger, the user 902 is likely to feel the vibration.Therefore, in the information processing device grasped by the user 902such as a smartphone or a game controller, the vibration data may becorrected in accordance with a way of holding the information processingdevice by the user 902. At this time, the information processing devicegrasped by the user 902 may include a detecting unit that detects thecontact area between the user 902 and the information processing device.Further, the detecting unit may detect a finger of the user 902 whichcomes into contact with the information processing device. In theinformation processing device grasped by the user 902, the strength ofvibration may be corrected in accordance with a pressure value of a partof the user 902 grasping the information processing device and/orinformation of the part of the user 902 (for example, informationindicating that it is strongly grasped with the index finger and themiddle finger, information indicating that it is strongly grasped withthe ring finger and the little finger, or the like).

Further, in the above example, the wearing position of the wearableterminal 100 is detected using a magnetic wave, an ultrasonic wave, or aradio wave. However, the wearing position of the wearable terminal 100may be explicitly input by the user 902.

Further, in the above example, the jacket type wearable terminal 100receives the corrected vibration data from the game machine 200 andgenerates the vibration signal. However, the jacket type wearableterminal 100 may store the positions of a plurality of vibrating devices102 a to 102 f and correct the vibration data received from the gamemachine 200 in association with the positions of a plurality ofvibrating devices 102 a to 102 f. For example, the jacket type wearableterminal 100 may receive the vibration data from the game machine 200and generate the corrected vibration data corrected to cause thevibrating devices 102 c and 102 f placed in the lower abdomen tostrengthen the vibration. In other words, the corrected vibration datamay be generated on the basis of the vibration data received from otherinformation processing devices.

Further, the processing unit 106 and the corrected vibration datagenerating unit 108 may be implemented using a general-purposeprocessor. Further, a computer program for operating the processor asdescribed above may be provided.

Further, a storage medium having the program stored therein may beprovided.

<<8. Conclusion>>

As described above, the information processing device according to thepresent disclosure corrects the vibration data in accordance with thestate between the information processing device and the user 902. Forexample, the information processing device according to the presentdisclosure corrects the vibration data in accordance with the pressingpressure of the vibrating device 102 against the user 902. Accordingly,although the vibrating device 102 vibrates with the same physicalvibration strength, the vibration experience strength of the user 902 isconstant.

Further, the information processing device according to the presentdisclosure corrects the vibration data in accordance with the wearingposition at which the information processing device is worn on the user902 or the contact position at which the information processing devicecomes into contact with the user 902. Accordingly, the vibrationexperience strength of the user 902 is constant.

Additionally, the present technology may also be configured as below

(1)

An information processing device, including:

a corrected vibration data generating unit configured to generatecorrected vibration data obtained by correcting a strength of vibrationdata for a vibrating device including a vibrator on a basis ofinformation provided from a detecting unit configured to detect acontact state of the vibrating device; and

an vibration signal generating unit configured to generate a vibrationsignal from the corrected vibration data.

(2)

The information processing device according to (1),

in which the detecting unit is a pressure sensor, and

the corrected vibration data generating unit generates the correctedvibration data on a basis of information related to pressure detected bythe pressure sensor.

(3)

The information processing device according to (2),

in which the corrected vibration data generating unit generates thecorrected vibration data to strengthen the strength of the vibrationdata in a case in which the pressure detected by the pressure sensor isweak.

(4)

The information processing device according to (1),

in which the detecting unit is an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor,and

the corrected vibration data generating unit generates the correctedvibration data on a basis of information related to an acceleration, anangular speed, or an angular acceleration detected by the accelerationsensor or the gyro sensor.

(5)

The information processing device according to (4),

in which the acceleration sensor or the gyro sensor detects secondaryvibration caused by the information processing device not being pressedagainst a user, and

the corrected vibration data generating unit generates the correctedvibration data to strengthen the strength of the vibration data in acase in which a magnitude of an acceleration, an angular speed, or anangular acceleration of the secondary vibration detected by theacceleration sensor or the gyro sensor is large.

(6)

The information processing device according to (2) or (3),

in which the pressure sensor is placed between the vibrating device anda contact surface in which the information processing device comes intocontact with the user.

(7)

The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (6),

in which the vibrating device includes a case having anelliptical-shaped cross section, and the vibrator is placed on one ofsurfaces in which a tangent is perpendicular to a minor axis of thecase.

(8)

The information processing device according to (7),

in which the vibrating device is placed so that a surface of the case inwhich the vibrator is not placed is a contact surface with a user.

(9)

The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (8),

in which the detecting unit further detects a wearing position of thevibrating device on a user, and

the corrected vibration data generating unit generates the correctedvibration data on a basis of information related to the wearing positiondetected by the detecting unit.

(10)

The information processing device according to (9),

in which the detecting unit detects the wearing position on a basis of adistance or a direction from a reference device serving as a reference.

(11)

The information processing device according to (9) or (10),

in which the corrected vibration data generating unit corrects thevibration data to correct a frequency for vibrating the vibrator inaccordance with the detected wearing position.

(12)

A method, including:

generating, by a processor, corrected vibration data obtained bycorrecting a strength of vibration data for a vibrating device includinga vibrator on a basis of information provided from a detecting unitconfigured to detect a contact state of the vibrating device; and

generating, by the processor, a vibration signal on a basis of thecorrected vibration data.

(13)

A computer program causing a processor to

generate corrected vibration data obtained by correcting a strength ofvibration data for a vibrating device including a vibrator on a basis ofinformation provided from a detecting unit configured to detect acontact state of the vibrating device, and

generate a vibration signal on a basis of the corrected vibration data.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   100 wearable terminal-   102 vibrating device-   104 pressure sensor-   106 processing unit-   108 corrected vibration data generating unit-   110 vibration signal generating unit-   112 communication unit-   114 position detecting sensor-   116 storage unit-   118 vibrator-   200 game machine-   202 communication unit-   204 processing unit-   206 corrected vibration data generating unit-   300 virtual object-   302 listener-   400 case-   402 opening portion-   500 display device-   600 head mounted type wearable device-   700 vibration stand-   702 vibrating plate-   704 pedestal-   706 elastic member-   800 reference device

1. An information processing device comprising: circuitry configured tostore a wearing position of a vibrating device including a vibrator,generate corrected vibration data obtained by correcting a strength ofvibration data for the vibrating device on a basis of the stored wearingposition of the vibrating device, and generate a vibration signal fromthe corrected vibration data.
 2. The information processing deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the corrected vibration data is generatedto increase the strength of the vibration data.
 3. The informationprocessing device according to claim 1, wherein the corrected vibrationdata is generated to correct a frequency of he vibration data forvibrating the vibrator in accordance with the stored wearing position.4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein theinformation processing device comprises a jacket-type wearable terminal.5. The information processing device according to claim 1, whereintiming of haptic data generation related to the vibration data iscontrolled based on visual information of a display image.
 6. Theinformation processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:a plurality of vibrating devices in different positions.
 7. Aninformation processing method comprising: storing a wearing position ofa vibrating device including a vibrator; generating corrected vibrationdata obtained by correcting a strength of vibration data for thevibrating device on a basis of the stored wearing position of thevibrating device; and generating a vibration signal from the correctedvibration data.
 8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium havingembodied thereon a program, which when executed by an informationprocessing device of a computer, causes the computer to execute amethod, the method comprising: storing a wearing position of a vibratingdevice including a vibrator; generating corrected vibration dataobtained by correcting a strength of vibration data for the vibratingdevice on a basis of the stored wearing position of the vibratingdevice; and generating a vibration signal from the corrected vibrationdata.